Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney does slightly worse than former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum when matched against President Obama in a poll from Purple Strategies of twelve swing states (Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Minnesota, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Wisconsin). Overall, Obama bests Romney 47 – 43, while only beating Santorum 46 – 44 amongst over 1,300 registered voters in the swing state set.
“These results may bring into question Mitt Romney’s continued claim of electability,” pollsters wrote. “Since September, we have tested President Obama against Rick Perry, Jeb Bush, Newt Gingrich, and now Rick Santorum. Of all of these candidates, Rick Santorum is the only one to outperform Romney (albeit by a small margin) against President Obama in Purple America. Additionally, among independents, Romney trails by 3 points, while Santorum leads President Obama by 2 points (44% to 42%).”
Other results underscore that this will be a tough election for both sides — Americans are frustrated with the whole process, and President Obama’s numbers aren’t sky high either.
Among voters overall, Rick Santorum is currently better liked than Romney: 38% hold a favorable view, and 43% have an unfavorable view. Among Republican voters, the results are dramatic: Santorum is much better liked (58%/24%) than is Romney (42%/41%).
At the same time, President Obama has net negative job ratings: 44% approve, and 50% disapprove. While the President’s approval ratings have drifted upward this year, a 44% approval rating is dangerously low for a president seeking re-election. He has worse ratings among independents (39%/52%) than the Purple electorate as a whole.
Additionally, there is an education gap: among those with a college degree or higher, 48% approve and 48% disapprove. Among those without a college degree, 42% approve and 51% disapprove.
